If You're Happy and You Know It...

After I threw myself a nice little pity party, I realized that, of course, I have a thousand reasons to be happy, even with my husband half a world away. Really, how could I have forgotten how awesome my life really is?! Here are a few reasons I have ditched my Negative Nancy attitude:

• My mom, aka the best mom ever, used her awesomeness to get me the BEST Christmas present ever! A homemade, black and white apron with Mrs. Liberato embroidered on it! I have been wanting one for a while now and she surprised me with it! It's even better than I imagined.

• My pink Reebok butt shaping shoes. Obviously that's not their official name but you get the point. Mom got them for both of us when I first got home months and months ago and I have gone down 3 sizes since then! Needless to say, I absolutely love those shoes [and my new, smaller butt]!

• A good book and a candle lit bubble bath...or really anything that helps me forget to be stressed about school and deployment. P.S. Bath & BodyWorks new Dark Kiss scent is my new favorite! It smells amazing.

• Victoria's Secret gift card...need I say more?

• Most importantly of all, I have pretty much accomplished my goal of Kardashian hair! I do wish my hair would grow a little longer but for now, I am perfectly content with my semi-long, dark curls.

And really, who can be grouchy when they have Kardashian hair?

Short But Not Sweet

Today I was sitting on the couch watching HGTV, happy as a clam, when I realized just how long it had been since I'd seen my husband's face, held his hand, kissed him. And suddenly I missed him so intensely that I could barely breathe. For some reason, it seems like the closer R&R gets, the harder it is for me to get through the day without constantly having to hold back tears. Maybe it's the holiday season and my reaction to seeing so many happy, kissing couples. Maybe it's the fact that I'm out of school now so I have extra time to be sad. Or maybe it's the fact that he has been gone for months and months now and it's starting to wear on my emotions. Whatever the reason, I don't like it one bit and I really hope it passes as quickly as it came.

If I don't get my husband back soon, I might just lose my mind.

Santa and I

A little known fact about Santa: He is not very good at assembling the presents. Good thing I was there to lend him a hand! After a few hours of professional direction following and expertise with a ratchet set, everything was ready for Christmas!

All thanks to me.

Sorry Santa.

The Silver Lining

I may not be able to go to school next semester, but at least I rocked this one!

This makes me feel a little less sad about missing out on next semester.

Yay me! :]

Winner, Winner!

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who entered my very first giveaway! I absolutely loved hearing about what you hoped Santa would bring you and I hope your holiday wishes come true!

Ok, now for the good part...

The winner is: Kaylee @ Devil Dog Darling!

Congrats and thanks for being a follower!

No Hangers Allowed

I'd like to think that I'm a pretty good wife. I cook, I clean, I do laundry. And when husband is home, I do loads and loads of it. After the clothes are washed, I promptly fold and put them away. Since husband deployed, I have developed the terrible habit of living out of my laundry basket. After my clothes are washed, they go into the laundry basket and then straight onto my body. No drawers or hangers required.

And let me tell you people, I love it! No folding, no organizing and everything is exactly where I can find it. If husband was home to witness this atrocious lack of housekeeping skills, he would probably have a heart attack. But since he's not here, I have begun to let my laundry situation get completely out of hand. I have literally lost all motivation to live like a civilized human being. I have officially become a heathen.

How do I know, you may ask? Yesterday, I crawled out of bed to find this mess:

Shocked by my own messiness, I knew I had to do something. However, the thought of dragging out the hangers and putting my entire wardrobe back into the closet where it belongs seemed like pure torture. So I found another, easier solution to my little problem:

I cleared a path to the door. Problem solved.

Well, at least until husband gets home and I have to resume folding clothes like a normal person. Until then, I'm allowing myself the pleasure of living like a heathen. Allowing myself to live this way may prove that I have actually gone off the deep end this time. So, is this a bad idea? Maybe, but I really don't care.

Give, Give, Giveaway!

I have found my Christmas cheer, people! And, ever so generously, I am bringing it to you, my lovely readers, in the form of a giveaway! My very first giveaway to be exact. So, as expected, I am absolutely beyond excited!

What's even more exciting is this giveaway is sponsered by CSN Stores! And do you want to know what's amazing about them? They have everything. Seriously. Everything from Tv stands for flat sceens to shoes to cookware. And just in time for the season of giving, I am here to offer you the chance to win a $35 gift certificate for CSN Stores, where I'm sure you can find anything you could ever want! Think of it as my Christmas gift to you. Or, even better, use it to ease the burden of holdiay shopping expenses and order a gift for a family member or friend!

Want to know how to win?

I bet you do!

So here's how:

#1:

Follow my blog and leave a comment on this post telling me what you hope to find under the tree this year.

[Personally, I'm hoping for my husband. Please, Santa?]

#2:

Blog about my giveaway so your friends can have a chance to win too! Then leave an additional comment with the link to your post.

#3:

Surviving the holidays without the love of your life by your side? I know exactly how that feels, so leave me a comment telling me about it and I'll give you an extra chance to win!

 [We all know deployments suck, you deserve it!]

Giveaway entries must be submitted by Saturday, December 18th.

I will then announce the winner Sunday morning.

[I know that leaves only a week until Christmas but I want to give everyone a chance to enter!]

So good luck everyone and I look forward to hearing what you want for Christmas!

*Contest open to US and Canadian residents only.

From Free to Fail

I am, naturally, very short on patience. Along with this problem, I also have a very low tolerance for stupid. Having these conditions makes accomplishing anything involving the government pretty much impossible. Like financial aid...

With husband deployed, I chose to come home to Arizona and go back to school. Go me. After my first semester back at ASU, I was given oppotunity to transfer to Grand Canyon University, a private Christian college, to finish out my degree. Normally, I would have just stayed at ASU for convenience, but Grand Canyon gave me the opportunity to attend for free. Of course, I didn't turn that down.

After I had been accepted and all of my paperwork had been signed and delivered, I thought I was home free. That was my first mistake. The school decided that I needed to verify my finacial situation. No problem, right? Wrong.

I sent in my tax forms and my bank information and everything else they asked for, except a copy of husband's 2009 tax info, which just so happens to be in storage, an ocean away from here. After all, why would they even really need his tax form from that year? We weren't even married yet! But it didn't matter; they insisted that I send it in. So I called everyone on the planet trying to get a copy. But guess what? Since we weren't married at the time, I am not authorized to obtain a copy. And that's when the real fun started.

The school started asking me to have my husband call. My response: He can't call. He's deployed. But apparently in the land of college acceptances and government forms, this means nothing. Because their next genius plan was to have him get a copy of the paper and fax it himself. Right then, in that very moment, is when my tolerance for stupid and my patience came to an end. I snapped. I was so mad, I cried. Which probably didn't make my response very intimidating but I said it all the same. My response: That's a great idea! I'm sure my husband, who has very limited time to call, can wait on hold with the IRS for hours to get a copy of that tax form. Oh, and then I'll just send my husband, who happens to be in a war zone, a fax machine. I'm sure, by some miracle, that it will magically work out there in the middle of the desert. Seriously, great idea.

So after that, I'm guessing that I'm probably not accepted anymore. Add that along to the fact that there is no way I am going to pay $8,000 a semester in tuition out of pocket, and it looks like I'm not going to school next semester. Right now, I'm still a little bit too mad to care. But I'm sure, in about 2 days, I'll be crying over this whole situation. Unless someone wants to finance my education...Please?

Christmas Cheer

It seems as though I've misplaced my Christmas spirit. I've looked every where and I just can't seem to find it.

I thought decorating the tree would help...

...but it didn't.

Then I tried baking cookies, my favorite Christmas activity of all time...

...but it felt more like work than fun.

And while I would normally love planning the Christmas party...

...this year I could barely muster any excitement.

Hopefully, by the time Santa gets here, my Christmas cheer will have returned.

Until then, Chloe and I will be waiting patiently by the tree.

Love, in Small Doses

With Chris deployed and the problems that result from his absence, it's easy for me to get a little down sometimes. But instead of concentrating on all that's going wrong right now and all of the stress that comes with it, I'm choosing to think of all the little things that brighten my day and leave me with a smile on my face. Even if it's only for a minute. Here we go:

• Husband finally got decent internet and has been able to "call" me through the computer almost every day! It's a Christmas miracle.

• I hate getting gas. It's the worst ever. To make it slightly more fun than torture, I play this game where I try to stop on a whole dollar amount. Last week, I won!

• For Christmas this year, I'm sending husband and five of his friends Christmas stockings packed full of Christmas cheer. I decided to include tons of Christmas cards with these stockings and needed to find some volunteers to write them for me. I nervously asked my class if they would help me, thinking that I looked like an idiot asking them to write cards to strangers. But guess what? I was wrong. All the girls were more than happy to help me and along with some help from a few others, I was able to send over 50 cards to the boys!

• Recently, Mom and I braved the choas of Costco [although my bruise is barely healed] to get some much needed baking supplies for our Christmas Cookie Weekend. Along with the baking supplies, we also accquired the most delicious looking carmel apple. We also had one that was Apple Pie flavored but that was eaten long before I got around to taking a picture.

• Lastly, and probably most importantly, my deployment countdown is getting really close to 50% done! Not only that, but around the time it actually hits 50%, my lover will be home with me for R&R!

And it will be the BEST DAY EVER.







Cheater, Cheater

I'm in love with another man.

Ok, so that's not entirely true. You see, my sister-in-law had a baby yesterday. The cutest baby I have ever seen. Like in my whole life. I held him today and it was love at first sight. Instantly, he had my heart.



Can you see the baby fever, plain as day on my face? Because let me tell you, it's there. As soon as that little baby boy was placed in my arms I was calculating how long it would be until I could have a baby of my very own. [Because unfortunately, baby boy had an anti-theft anklet on so I couldn't just steal him. Darn.]

 I love him already.

Welcome to the world, Baby Liberato!

Doggie Depression

We got Chloe, my dog, when I was in 6th grade. Instantly, I loved her. She seemed to love us too. But shortly after her arrival, we became aware of her condition: Doggie Depression. Having this condition, Chloe has attemped suicide several times in her short puppy life.

Attempt #1: I came home from school to find that Chloe had chewed open and eaten an entire bottle of perscription strength ibuprofen. Naturally, we immediately rushed her to the doggie hospital. As we pulled into the parking lot, a team of doggie nurses rushed over to start trying to save our puppy's life. Thankfully, after getting her stomach pumped and spending 3 days in the hospital, Chloe was deemed almost as good as new.  

Attempt #2: One weekend, my mom and I were building a metal shed in the backyard. During our lunch break, Chloe took the opportunity to run across all the metal pieces of the still unassembled shed, instantly slicing all the pads on her paws. Again, she had to be rushed to the doggie hospital where they stitched her up and kept her overnight for observation.

Attempt #3: About a block from our house is a canal. One day while we were on vacation, Chloe escaped from the house and ran straight for it. She took a flying leap off the bank and right into the water, during a storm. With the water churning and the wind blowing, no one heard her babysitter's cries for help. Eventually, the fire department came and saved her from a watery grave. Again, she came home with her little puppy paws bloody and bandaged.

Today was attempt #4. I came down the stairs to find Chloe laying amongst dozens of chocolate wrappers. Immediately, I was sick with worry. Not only is chocolate poison to dogs, I have one of the only dogs on the planet that has diabetes. So I rushed her to the doggie hospital so the vet could work to save her life, again. He pumped her stomach and kept her for the afternoon to regulate her blood sugar. Now she is home again, enoying a bone as if nothing ever happened.

Packages and Pictures

I love mail.

Seriously, I love it.

About two weeks ago, husband called and informed me that he was going to send me a package. Naturally, I was beyond excited. Because the only thing I love more than mail is my husband. 

[Ok, maybe that's not entirely true. But you know what I mean.]

Anyway, I jokingly asked husband if he could find a way to mail himself. Well, today my package arrived. And as I tore open that box at the speed of light I was secretly hoping that my husband would jump out. Irrational, I know. But, in a way, my wish still came true. Because inside that box I found my husband's shirt that still smelled exactly like him. I also found these:

So tonight, wearing my husband's shirt and looking at his smiling face, I almost feel like he is home with me. Almost.

Faulty Genetics

Everyone in my family was born with beautiful, brown skin.

Everyone except me.

All my life my ghostly white skin has forced me into the family spotlight, making me the favorite topic of holiday jokes. 

If you think I'm exaggerating my extreme paleness, I invite you to take a look at my senior picture.

Now if this picture had been taken in the dead of winter, then maybe my translucent skin wouldn't be so bad.

But no. This picture was taken in August. After a long, hot Arizona summer in the sun.

Gag.

Foolishly, I prayed my skin would change with age.

After all, maybe God had had enough laughs at my expense and was going to one day grant me gloriously brown skin too.

Well, I'm now 23. And sadly, I am done hoping.

As unbelievable as it may seem, my skin has gotten even whiter as the years have passed.

And all I have to say is:

Not funny, God. Not funny at all.

Costco Crazies

Dear people of Costco,

I understand that you love free samples, I really do. But seriously, when you abandon your cart in the middle of the isle to stand in line for a piece of free cheese, I get a little upset. I get even more upset when you aggressively ram your cart directly into my path, forcing me to dive out of the way in order to save my shins from damage. When you catch me off guard and I'm not able to dive out of the way of your crazy cart maneuvers, this is what happens:



And when I start to bleed, I will also start to yell. And trust me, the first chance I get, I'm going to get you back. Watch your shins people. I mean business. 

With love,

Megan 

Veterans Day

I don't know my Dad's whole story.

I do know he was in the Air Force. And he is damn proud to be an American.

Maybe one day I'll get to hear the rest.

Dad, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, D.C.

March 2009.

This Veterans Day, I would also like to thank the all of the other men and women who have served, including:

LCpl Krznarich

Marine Corps

And of course, my husband

PFC Liberato

U.S. Army

If you would like to share the stories of the Veterans in your life, or would simply like to read the stories of others, visit Skinnie Piggie to find out more.

Tales of a Librarian

Growing up, I had a certain perception of librarians, a stereotype if you will, that has pretty much intensified as I’ve gotten older. Every librarian I have ever met was an older, glasses wearing woman who liked cats. So when ASU told me I would be doing my fall internship at a public library, where obviously, there would be librarians hanging around, I was way less than thrilled. Don’t get me wrong, I in no way hate librarians. I’m sure most of them are really nice people. But the last thing that I want to do is spend a semester hanging out with a librarian in a library. Because I seriously hate libraries. The whole place smells like musty, old moth balls and it’s filled with books that God only knows how many people have touched. Seriously, I don’t even want to know where those books have been.

So anyway, when the day of my first internship rolled around, I reluctantly got ready and slumped off to the library.  When I got there, I was greeted by this:

Not your average library building, wouldn’t you say? So I was more than a little intrigued to see if other things were different at this library as well (i.e. the smell). So with a little more pep in my step [curiosity will do that to a girl] I put on my intern badge and strode through the doors. Taking a deep breath, I realized that I smelled nothing but fresh, clean air. “How could this be?” I thought to myself. I got assigned to a new, modern, good-smelling library?! 

Interrupting my moment of joy, the librarian walked over: a frumpy, glasses-wearing older woman. And guess what? Within the first five minutes of talking to her, she told me about her four cats. Seriously. I knew right then she was going to be a gem. And let me tell you people, she hasn’t disappointed me yet.

Here are just a few of my favorite librarian moments:

“Do you think anyone would notice if I took off my bra? I’m so hot!”

“My profession is dominated by white females. I’m a white female too…It’s really too bad I’m not gay. That would definitely give me an edge!”

“Oh, be careful of that. I’m trying to trap a cat.”

And the list goes on. With next week as my last, I hope she gets a few more good ones in before I go. This whole working with a librarian thing isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be…

Today, you can call me Nancy

Remember that 5% of the time when I forget about my quest for Kardashian hair and pumpkin muffins just fail to bring me joy?

Well, that's today. Today, I'm a total Negative Nancy.

Don't get me wrong I am totally thrilled that Chris' deployment is more than a third of the way done.

But today is one of those days where I am just grouchy. Very grouchy.

 I want my husband home time now.

Do It Yourself

I love HGTV. You know, the channel where all of those regular, every day people take on big, home improvement projects? It amazes me how those people can effortlessly complete projects obviously meant for professionals. So of course, after watching countless hours of do-it-yourself-ers take on projects meant for the pros, I thought to myself, if they can take on a whole house as a do-it-yourself project, then surely I can take on a much smaller, less serious one! 

Not my best idea.

Do-it-yourself eye brow waxing is a lot harder than it looks.
Just so you know.

Hermanito

Remember my little brother? You know, the one that saved me from my Mexican Phone Stalker and has since become my full time bodyguard? It's his 20th birthday!

 Look how cute and little he used to be!

He's definitely not that little anymore! You know when you're a kid and your mom says to you, "Stop picking on your little brother! One day he's going to be bigger than you and then you'll be sorry." It turns out, she's right.

This little cowboy grew into a giant cowboy...



And went from being my adorable, annoying little brother...

to being my "big" brother and my best friend!



Happy Birthday Hermanito!

List of Love

I feel like with this deployment, people are always expecting me to be sad and miserable. To be honest, sometimes I am. But with all of the people I love around me and with school and work as distractions, I am by no means a constant Negative Nancy. So, I am going to make a list of a few things I love about life right now:

• Pumpkin muffins! I made them for Chris' Halloween box [they're his favorite] and I haven't stopped making them since! I'm addicted.

Easiest recipe ever! Let me know if you want it!

• My Little Brother. Man how I missed him when we both moved away! I am beyond happy to have him home all the time with me. Even when he's trying to booby trap my room or put his feet on my face. Now that's love!

Who could ever resist that face?! Plus, he saved me from my Mexican Phone Stalker. I'm forever greatful.
• And, last but not least, my quest for Kardashian hair! Oh, how I love love love long, dark hair. I've almost gotten the long part down. Now, I just have to wait for my hair color appointment!

As you can see, my roots have been growing out for about a million years making my hair about 3 different colors. Gross.

So there you go, people. I think those are some pretty wonderful reasons to be happy, don't you?! So next time you're thinking to yourself that I'm probably sitting around the house being a grumpy, old troll, there's a 95% chance you're wrong. And that other 5% of the time I'm probably doing homework so that doesn't even really count. Goodbye Negative Nancy, Hello Positive...Polly?

Update: Wierdie Magnet

Remember my Mexican Phone Stalker? You know, the one that wanted to be my boyfriend? Well, that situation has since progressed from bad, to worse. Stupid me for thinking that hanging up on the guy would deter him from calling me again, right? Anyway, after the hang up incident, he preceded to call me multiple times... daily. Not once did I answer the phone, and still he called and called. Up until an hour or so ago my favorite was when he called at 0345 and left me a message that simply said, "MUJER!" Had it not been left for me in the middle of the night I may have been slightly amused. I mean, it's not everyday a person gets a Mexican Phone Stalker, right?

Well, I'm pretty sure that Stalker Man is gone for good this time, which leads me to my favorite part of the story. Finally, after 5 calls today, I had to call in the big guns: my little brother. Now when I say little brother I'm sure you're picturing an actual little brother. You know, someone smaller and slightly annoying. Well, you would be wrong. In my case, my little brother is more like my giant, smarter, bear-like brother who I like to think of as my personal bodyguard.

So when I got the 5th call of the night and Stalker left a lovely message, something along the lines of, "My friend says he loves you. He can't live without you. Ay yay yay!" I wasn't even close to amused. When my phone rang again two seconds later, I ran to Brother's room, threw open the door and begged for help! Very man-like Brother said, "Give me the phone. I'll take care of it." And let me tell you, take care of it he did! He played the role of intimidating male figure well. And when that really wasn't working out he said something including "policia" and my problem was magically solved.

So next time you think you may have a potential Mexican Phone Stalker on your hands, call me. I'll let you borrow my bodyguard. He happens to be a pro now.

Running, Running, Running

As you may have heard, I made myself a list of things to accomplish while Chris is gone. I've already crossed some of the things off that list, like quilting and pie making. Running is also on that list. Unfortunately, I have this problem where I hate running. I'm not exactly sure why but it probably has something to do with the fact that I'm not very good at it and it makes me sweaty. And I really don't like being sweaty. But, since my Donut of Misery looks like this now:

[Exciting, right?!]

I decided that it was time to start on my running goal. I've been putting it off for weeks and weeks, but now that we're 30% through deployment, and more than 50% of the way to R&R, it seems like a now-or-never kind of thing. So, yesterday I gathered up all the enthusiasm I could muster and went on my first running adventure. Surprisingly, it wasn't so bad. Well, besides the being sweaty part. But I got to wear my pretty pink running shoes so that kind of balanced it out. Good shoes really can  make any situation better, don't you think?

Anyway, I'm two days in and I'm feeling pretty good. Apparently, I'm a much better runner than I originally thought. This is nothing compared to the horror of my hiking adventure. At the rate I'm going, I'll be running with Chris before I know it!

Wierdie Magnet

I don't know what it is about me, but I swear all wierdie people are attracted to me. No matter where I am, they find me. Seriously people, I am a full-blown wierdie magnet. Today proved, once again, that even in my own home, I am not safe from the wierdies of the world. Let me tell you the story...

Today, I got three wrong number calls, none of whom spoke english. The first time my phone rang, I answered and patiently tried to explain to the man, using my very limited spanish speaking skills, that I was not Jose and that my number was not ever going to connect to him. The second time, I was slightly less patient but still polite as I again explained, in spanish, that there was still no Jose here. By the third call I was frustrated and I was mad. I was frustrated with my limited spanish knowledge and I was mad at Jose for giving all his friends MY number and not HIS OWN. So when I answered my phone and yet another spanish speaking man greeted me from the other side and said "Jose?" I almost lost it. Unfortunately, I have this problem where I feel bad hanging up on people and therefore forced myself to nicely tried to get the man off my phone. So I once again repeated that I was not Jose. The man then rambled on in spanish for a while, only about half of which I actually understood. I did completely understand his last sentence though. You know, the one where he told me that he was the one that had called twice before and then asked me to be his girlfriend. At that moment, I no longer felt bad about hanging up on him.

I am never answering my phone again.

Danger: Crazy Girl Ahead

I am pretty sure that I am very, dangerously close to losing my mind. If for one second I could peer inside my pretty, little head to get a small glimpse of what's going on in there, I'm quite sure that all I would see is a tiny version of myself, one foot dangling in mid-step off of a very high cliff. What is happening to me, people?! I feel like I'm losing my mind! 

Just one of my many, many examples: Today I went through the entire day being sad and mopey, thinking that I hadn't gotten a phone call from Chris in weeks. In a moment of absolute self pity, I checked the incoming call log on my phone to see just how many days it has actually been, thinking to myself that I probably deserved a pat on the back or something for being such a patient Army Wife. So as I scrolled through the list of calls, I couldn't believe my eyes. Do you know what my phone said? It said Chris had just called on Saturday...and on Sunday! How is it that I have no recollection of him even calling at all? It was only 3 days ago! Normally I'm so excited to be talking to him I never forget a word he says. Never, ever have I forgotten an entire conversation! And in the last week I have forgotten two!? Now my memory is turning me into a bad wife.

[Photographic proof of my crazy.]

If I can't even remember phone calls with the love of my life that were only 3 days ago, think of all the other things that could be going terribly wrong with my brain! Seriously, people. This is no joke. This time next week I may not even be able to remember my own name. If this does indeed happen, which the odds are looking good that it will, can someone send out a search party, please? With my luck, I'll most likely have forgotten how much I hate nature and I'll be off trying to hike again.

Anniversaries

Every other girl I know is head over heels for anniversary celebrations, obsessing over presents, flowers and romantic dinners. Even Chris, who is not known for his romantic tendencies, keeps mentioning to me that he is trying everything he can to be home on our anniversary. 

All of this anniverary talk has me thinking: Is there something wrong with me? Am I the only girl on the face of the earth that has little desire for an extravegant celebration for her anniversary? Is it wrong of me to not want a huge celebration with candles, presents and surprises?

Don't get me wrong, if Chris did make it home and wanted to make big plans and go all out, of course I would be happy to do whatever he wanted. But if I had to choose, it wouldn't be extravagant, expensive or overly-planned at all.

Maybe it's because this is our first anniversary and I'm still in the newleywed love stage. Maybe it's because I don't want to get my hopes up and be disappointed if Chris can't be here. But really, I think it's just the fact that I have never really been a fan of giving expensive presents just to show a person how much you love them. Personally, I would rather have a heart felt "I love you" than a diamond anyday.

Is anyone else with me?

Chris and I on wedding day

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

I know I've been slacking a bit lately, but I have finally found the enthusiasm to participate in another MilSpouse Friday Fill-In! I think it's the hope of the doctor curing my insomnia later today that has me in such great spirits. Anyway, if you'd like to participate in MilSpouse Friday Fill-In, hop on over to Wife of a Sailor and learn how to get started!

1.What is the longest road trip you’ve ever taken?

Ah, the infamous family roadtrip...One time my dad decided that it was a great idea to get the whole family together for a roadtrip. We were to drive from Arizona to Montana with numerous, perfectly-scheduled stops along the way. This was around the same time that my dad also happened to be in need of a life-or-death liver transplant and neglected to tell anyone. Due to his extreme sickness and crazy grouchiness from everyone else, we ended up missing every campsite reservation along the way.

Worst roadtrip ever.

2.Do you collect anything? Tell us a bit about it.

I'm pretty sure you could count my obsession with Febreze products as a collection. Plain and simple, I love Febreze. I have the air-spray, the candles, the plug-ins, and of course, the new pop up air freshener. The catch is, I only like the Linen & Sky scent.

3.What is your favorite part about being an adult?

I would have to say not being forced to drink milk. When I was a kid, my mom always made us drink a glass of milk with dinner. Every single night. Thank goodness I don't have to do that anymore. I like milk in cereal and all, but just thinking about drinking a glass of milk makes me want to gag.

4.What song brings a tear to your eye?

Since Chris deployed, I can't listen to any soldier related songs without having to hold back tears. Of course with Carrie Underwood's Just a Dream, that's understandable. But even Toby Keith's American Soldier, which really isn't sad, makes me want to cry.

5.Describe your first plane ride (how old you were, where you were heading, etc).
 
I don't really remember my first plane ride, but I remember the first time I flew alone. And the reason I remember it? I was 6 and the airline put me on the wrong plane. I was supposed to be flying to San Diego and instead ended up in Ontario. Let me tell you people, I have never been the same.

New Shoes and a Better Butt

As you may have noticed, I've been on a shoe buying spree lately. (Well, actually my mom has been buying them. Thanks, mom!) My newest pair are pretty and pink and come with the promise of a better butt!

This morning I decided to take my new shoes on a little test drive.  And since for the past week or so I've wanted to go hiking, I grabbed my bestie and off we went! Never mind the fact that I hate nature and waking up early, right? Let's just say that my little hiking adventure was not at all what I expected.

In my mind, I pictured myself looking adorable in my new, pink shoes and matching workout clothes. I imagined we would make it up the mountain no problem and stand proudly at the top, looking glamorous. Let me tell you, it was nothing even remotely close to that! Once we actually got to the nature, I began to experience one of those "What the heck was I thinking" moments. Looking up at that dirt covered mountain, every part of my brain was telling me to get back in the car and forget I ever had this crazy idea. But instead, I stepped my pretty, pink shoe into that dirt and began to climb...

 About ten minutes and thirty steps later, the best friend and I were sweaty, dirty and whiny. We did not look glamorous at all. (Who knew climbing a mountain was so hard?) As we stopped to take yet another break, a family with three small children zoomed past us on the trail. Two seconds later, an older woman ran by, as we stood there wheezing and sweating. At that point, we looked at each other's red faces and decided it was totally acceptable for us to give up. So we hung our heads in shame and walked those 30 steps back to the car.

 Let me tell you people, imaginary hiking is much more fun than the real thing. In real hiking, there is dirt and sweat and people old enough to be your grandma running by you. Next time I decide it's a good idea to hike can someone please remind me how much I hate nature? I will definitely stick to the gym from now on.

Too Soon?

Dear Santa,

Is it too soon to tell you what I want for Christmas? In case it's not, I'd really love these amazing Kardashian shoes.

Thanks,
Megan

[Remember my house and baby obsessions? I've moved on...to shoes.]

On the Ball

Chris loves Halloween. It's his very favorite holiday. Don't ask me why, because honestly I have no idea why anyone likes it. I am definitely not a fan. I'm the party pooper of all things Halloween. Sorry. Anyway, even though I'm a Negative Nancy when it comes to celebrating this holiday, I decided to be nice and send Chris the best Halloween box ever. And of course I had to send it at the beginning of the month because he's just so excited he asks for it every time he calls.

So, it all started when I found some adorable spider bags...

Then I had to find some candy to go in them. [Kit-Kat, anyone?]

But then I thought, "Why stop at candy? I think those boys need some cookies!"

So I made cookies...

Dozens and dozens of them.

Peanut Butter.

Sugar.

M&M.

Funfetti.

White Chocolate Chip.

But then I thought, "Why stop at cookies?!"

So then I made pumpkin muffins! [It is fall now afterall.]

And of course, if I was going to bake pumpkin muffins, they would have to be made in the cutest Halloween cupcake papers I could find!

[Isn't that little ghost so cute?]





So maybe Halloween isn't so bad afterall. I mean, I sure had fun baking all that stuff. Picking out the cute Halloween bags wasn't so bad either. And I'm sure Chris and the guys will have tons of fun trick-or-treating for cookies and pumpkin muffins with their spider bags. Maybe putting together this whole box was enough to change my feelings toward Halloween...but probably not.

It's a Miracle!

I have officially survived 25% of this deployment! 

I can't even imagine how awful it must be for Chris.
Poor hubby.

Anyway,

I think I'll celebrate this milestone with a nap.

Or maybe some more of mom's ice cream.

I have lost 25 lbs. after all. I think I deserve it!